And So it Begins!
by FlashKenshin77
Summary: Shinta, a ten year old from the small coastal town Resembool, begins his journey to be a Pokemon Master, following in the steps of his father. He learns the value of hard work and slowly learns to forgive people for the wronging of his past. Along the way, he makes some new friends, makes some enemies, saves the world, and tries to complete the Pokedex.


_Must run; must run faster_. I sped along the path and briefly glanced behind me; I was still being chased by the flock of Spearows, which were slowly gaining on me. I put all the strength I could muster in my legs and ran, somehow avoiding the roots and rocks along the path.

I dove behind a tree as I felt several strong gusts of wind hit where I had been moments before." "Look I'm sorry I invaded your territory!" I yelled at them.

There was a moment of silence before I heard them all caw and attack me with renewed vigor. I ran faster than I ever had before. Unfortunately, I didn't see a root sticking out of the ground and tripped, smacking into the ground with a strong thud. I laid there on the ground in a daze, till I remembered that I was being chased.

"Pikachu, use Thundershock!" Someone yelled in a southern drawl. A small yellow mouse with red cheeks ran past me and lighting erupted from its body and hit the Spearows. The shock was strong enough to incapacitate the flock of Spearows, their bodies twitching on the ground.

I looked behind me to see a boy around my age wearing a light blue shirt with blue pants standing in the road. The Pikachu made its way back towards the kid and hopped on his shoulder.

"How'd ya manage ta make those Spearows mad?" The kid asked as he ran towards me and held out his hand to help me up.

I accepted his help and got off the ground. "I didn't know that they had a nest near my village and I kinda... stumbled into them." I said, my hand scratching the back of my neck.

"Aye, maybe ya should watch where ya step." He offered. "Names' Roy by the way; what's yours?" He asked as he tipped his black ball cap towards me.

"Shinta." I said, shaking his hand.

"So Shinta, ya said you're not from around here; where exactly are ya from?"

"A small town north of Viridian City; it's by the coast."

"Ah, that's why Ah've never heard of it; don't travel the coast much." He said with a smile. He smacked himself on the forehead. "How could ah forget; this is my best buddy in the world, Pikachu." He said, pointing to the yellow mouse that ran by me earlier.

"Hi there little guy; thanks for rescuing me." I said with a faint smile.

It smiled. "Pika."

"So where are you headed?" I asked, brushing the dirt off my pants.

"Well me and Pikachu here were headed towards Pewter City to try and get our first badge; how 'bout you?"

"I was heading over to Pallet Town and talk to Professor Oak. I'm supposed to get my first Pokémon today." I said proudly.

Roy laughed. "Well ah'll be, we got a newbie here Pikachu."

I paused. "Wait, aren't you new too?"

"Nah; Ah've been doing this for ´bout a month now."

"And you're just going after your first badge now?"

"Well ya; Ah've been training since the Pewter gym leader uses rock Pokémon and Pikachu ain't that good against them, no offense buddy." He said, scratching the Pokémon's ear. He thought for a moment. "If ya don't mind, Ah'd like to tag along and visit the good professor again."

"Sure, I wouldn't mind the company." I said with a laugh.

"Alright, then what are we waitin' for?" He asked as he turned around and we started to follow the path back towards Pallet Town.

"So Roy, if you don't mind me asking, how did you become such good friends with your Pikachu so fast? I've heard they ignore their trainers." I asked as we made our way down the final stretch of the dirt path.

"Ya heard right; he was a pain for the first few weeks Ah had him. We fought every day over anything and everything. Finally we got into our first battle against a Rattata and he wouldn't listen. When Pikachu refused to attack it, the vermit charged Pikachu and I grabbed him and blocked the move with my arm." He said, showing a scar along his forearm. "After that, well, Ah'm not sure; Pikachu got real upset and sent the vermit scurrying away. Ever since then, Ah feel as if we're gettin' closer every day."

"Wow." I said in awe.

"It was nothing; Ah'm just glad to have my buddy." He said, patting Pikachu on the head. "What ´bout you? Have ya given any thought on who you want yer partner to be?"

I thought for a moment. "No… not really. I'm going to go there and just see where my gut takes me."

"Ah, your one of those people." He said with a smile.

"What does that mean?" I asked, slightly offended.

He laughed again. "Nothing; Ah'm a bit of a 'go by yer gut' type of guy mahself."

We were silent, each lost in our own thoughts till the path led us down a few hills and we could see Professor's Oaks Laboratory. I rushed to the building and I knocked on the door. An older man answered; he had graying brown hair and black eyes. He was around Roy's height, about a head shorter than me. He wore a standard white lab coat but had a purplish blue shirt and brown pants.

"Welcome to my laboratory; how can I help you?" He asked before looking at Roy. "Roy, what are you doing back? You can't have gotten the Boulder Badge already?" He asked, a faint grin on his face.

"Ah haven't, but Ah'm close; nah, Ah was escortin' a friend here. Professor Oak, allow me to introduce ya to Shinta. Shinta, this´d be the legendary Professor Oak."

Oak laughed slightly. "I'm not that famous." He looked at me. "Hmm…. Shinta; I've heard that name before… Wait, aren't you the kid from that coastal town by Viridian?"

"That would be me… sir." I said, slightly embarrassed.

"Please, call me Oak. Where are my manners, come inside." He said, ushering us in. He led us down a few halls and into a large room dominated by computers and bookshelves. "Now, what can I do for you Shinta?" He said as he took a seat in a big leather chair behind a desk in the center of the room.

"I would like to start my Pokémon journey." I said, determination ringing in my voice.

Oak smiled. "So you want to start your journey?" He got up and stared me in the eye. "Are you sure you can handle the responsibility?"

"Sir, I've been waiting for this since I was little. I'm ready."

He laid a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "I believe that you are. Now follow me." He said, leading me to a table with a half circle glass case that held three Poké-Balls. He hit a button on the side and the glass disappeared into the table. "On this table reside three Pokémon; Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur. Which one will you choose to start your adventure and be your constant travel companion?"

I stared at my three choices, closing my eyes and taking a few breaths to calm down. _This is it_. I slowly reached for the middle Poké-Ball and grabbed the cool metal in my hand. No one said anything as I pressed the button in the middle of the Poké-Ball and the top half opened. A red beam emitted from the ball and an orange lizard with a flame at the end of its tail appeared.

He was about the height of my shin, coming up to my knee. His blue eyes looked up to stare at mine as it smiled.

"Char." He said, the fire on its tail growing slightly larger.

"So you've chosen Charmander, the fire type Pokémon?" Oak asked, staring at me. Charmander looked up again.

"Yes, I choose Charmander." I said, smiling at the Pokémon.

"CHAR!" He yelled, running over and hugging my leg. I bent down and patted the top of his head.

"Well, looks like ya made a new friend already." Roy said, grinning.

Oak walked over to his desk and pulled out a red rectangle object. He flicked the cover open and hit a few buttons on it before pointing it at me. It beeped before he hit another button and a voice rang out in the room.

"Pokédex registration complete; I'm Mustang, a Pokédex programmed by Professor Oak for Pokémon Trainer Shinta of the town of Resembool. My function is to provide Shinta with information and advice regarding Pokémon and their training. If lost or stolen, I cannot be replaced."

Oak flipped the red panel closed and handed it to me. "This is your one and only Pokédex; like it said; if you lose it, I can't give you another one, so take good care of it."

I put it in my jacket pocket. "Thank you…for everything."

He laughed. "Don't thank me yet; your journey is just starting. I have a feeling you'll do me proud and finish what I couldn't. Complete the Pokédex and become a Pokémon master." He held out his hand and I shook it. "Now go out there and make me proud."

I smiled. "Of course." I said as we all headed back towards the front door. I recalled Charmander and he disappeared into his Poké-Ball which shrank to the size of a marble. I put it in my pocket with the Pokédex as we followed Oak through his house until we came to the front door. He opened it and Roy and I exited.

"If you have any questions, go to the Pokémon Center and give me a call; I'll be glad to help."

"I will." I said as we turned around and started heading out of Pallet Town.

As we walked down the road, Roy and I started to talk about some entertaining stories of our youth.

"So as Ah was climbing the tree, this new girl, Olivia, came running up to me and pulled the end of mah shirt. Ah wasn't expectin' it and fell on top of her. As Ah was gettin' up, she laughed and kicked me in the shin. Ah didn't find it that funny." He said, frowning slightly.

I laughed. "So is Olivia your girlfriend?" I asked, emphasizing it with quotes.

His face grew bright red. "It's… complicated." He said, growing silent. He glanced at you. "What ´bout you; got yer eyes on anyone?"

I laughed. "None at all."

He stared at me in shock. "None at all?"

"Nope."

"How'd ya manage that?"

"Easy; don't talk to anyone." I said.

"Really; you mean ta´ tell me that you didn´ have any friends?"

"Not really no."

He shook his head. "Ah don't know what ta´ say."

I shrugged. "There isn't much to say. I'm ok with what I had to do."

He sighed. "Why did ya ignore everyone?"

I looked away. "I learned at a young age not to trust anyone."

"What do ya mean-" he was interrupted by the rustling in the grass. "What the hay?" He said; Pikachu stared at it intensely.

"Let me handle this ok?" I asked, grabbing Charmander's Poke-Ball and letting the fire Pokémon out.

He looked at me with a smile. "Char!"

"You ready for your first battle Charmander?" I asked.

His eyes grew determined and he shook his head yes. "Char!"

"Alright; let's see what we got." I said, as the grass parted to reveal a Rattata. I grabbed Mustang out of my pocket. "What is that?" I asked, flipping the device open and pointing it at the mouse.

Mustang powered on. "A Forest Pokémon, Rattata. It likes cheese, nuts, fruits, and berries." It said in its robotic voice.

Suddenly, another Rattata appeared, and another one and another one till there was a gathering of at least twenty.

"Uh…" I said, looking at Charmander.

"Are ya sure you don't want help?" Roy asked.

"Ya, I'm sure." I said; sweat building up on my forehead. "You ready Charmander?" I asked. It shook its head yes. "Alright then; let's show 'em what we got. Charmander use Ember!" I yelled.


End file.
